published on http://polonia.pap.pl 

France/Polynesia: Another account of the cruise around the world by Jean-Jacques Kowalczyk

NUKU HIVA

Wednesday, 29 September 29 2009

Well, I think it is high time to answer all the questions that have piled up recently…

So, both me and Ben decided that each of us would go his own way. I mean, of course, our compulsory sailing together. We reached the point when we had to make the final decision. We’ve got accustomed to the yacht during the last four years. After the discussion we agreed I would buy the shares Ben had as a co-owner of the yacht and sail away ALONE! I guess that was the best solution for the cruise to finish successfully. I didn’t even think that the cruise could have finished here or after reaching Papeete.
One of us has to complete the cruise…
I have to admit that the discussion was difficult. Ben seems to be tired and I think it will be nice if we part as friends.

There’re more reasons for that, so please, don’t speculate too much. These are our final decisions.

This is how it’s gotta be, there’s nothing to add.

What is certain is that the yacht is gonna sail around the world with one of the four of us /there were four sailors in the beginning: two girls, Jasiek and Ben/, opening a new page in the history of sailing.

From now on, I am gonna take over Winger’s helm, and honestly, I am really happy about that… Even if the yacht is mine now, I will not forget that the adventure started with the four of us. Well, I’m gonna change the topic now.

I wanted to sail to Tahiti on Thursday, but on Wednesday evening someone made me a really great surprise. The yacht GUERLEC appeared on the horizon. For the first time we’d met in Colombia. Then crossed the Panama Canal together. We spend a few pleasant days in Panama, too. We haven’t been in touch since we sailed into the Pacific. It is so nice to meet them again on the Marquesas Islands.

As if it weren’t enough, on the very same day an Australian guy invited me over to his yacht; after a few beers he confined to me that he’d met a beautiful sailor in Colon near Panama… I figured out almost instantly he meant Natasza Caban from Poland, the one who has been sailing around the world alone on her 10-metre yacht for 2 years.

I’ve already mentioned I met her in Panama. In fact, she’s really beautiful. She’s concrete tough and always knows what she wants. She gave me those few precious  moments I will never forget and I’m sure I’ll always be indebted to her. Tell you what, she’s a real woman. I felt true love towards her, brotherly love, not the stuff you are probably thinking about. To finish her cruise around the world she should have sailed to Hawaii from where she set off 2 years ago. It went another way, though…

I was talking about this girl to my Australian friend when, out of the blue, Natasza’s yacht sailed up to us. I couldn’t believe my own eyes so I took my pontoon to get closer to her. I could see she was winking at me from a distance. All around her yacht, there was a school of dorado coryphaena fish (they have golden scales). Outstanding view… Soon, she explained to me she’d been sailing for 3 weeks and the school had been accompanying her all the time! There was no end to hugging and we were chatting as happy as little kids… In the meantime, her yacht was drifting freely because we’d forgotten about the anchor. It was late at night when we decided to drop it. It turned out that sailing from Panama to Galapagos took her 22 days. And then, another 34 days from Galapagos to the Marquesas Islands. Good job! It was pretty long, but still, she reached the shore safe and sound, and that’s what matters…

I understood I had to take better care of her than I used to, the more so as it was her who sailed up to my wigwam. I had no choice but to ask her out to a restaurant for a big piece of meat and a fountain of Coke. It may seem awkward for you but for someone who spends a lot of time at sea, a piece of juicy meat is a real feast…

So the Polish flags fluttered proudly over the Marquesas Islands as never before, and I felt really happy before setting off to Tahiti. At the moment I am writing these words the weather is not good and the forecast predicts it will get even worse, so it seems I’ll have to stay here a bit longer, which has nothing to do with Natasza of course. I’m going to write more soon; I feel the next days will give me more energy than ever before…

Jasiek